Mandatory Vaccinations in Canada

Paper Info
Page count 3
Word count 850
Read time 4 min
Topic Health
Type Essay
Language 🇺🇸 US

Are Vaccines Effective?

Disease prevention is considered to be better and cheaper compared to treatment. Vaccines help in saving life because it is effective in reducing or eradicating some diseases (Busby, 2018). Vaccine boasts an individual’s immunity to increase protection to an infection before coming into contact with that infection. With the use of vaccines, Canada has effectively managed to eradicate infectious diseases. For example, with the introduction of vaccines, infectious diseases such as polio, diphtheria, measles, and smallpox are rarely experienced in Canada (Fleurant-Ceelen et al., 2018). Moreover, vaccines assist in reducing the spread of infectious diseases. Therefore, vaccination has significantly helped in reducing the prevalence of infectious diseases in Canada.

Why Would Someone Refuse A Vaccine?

Some people refuse to take vaccines because of safety concerns, personal views, and lack of understanding. Safety concerns are one of the many reasons why some people refuse to be vaccinated. When taken, some vaccines can have substantial side effects and other negative health consequences (McClure et al., 2017). Many people are frequently assailed with information about the side effects of vaccines from the media or other sources. A personal belief is another factor that stops parents from obtaining or administering the vaccine to their children. Natural immunity, according to some tales, is significantly more reliable than vaccination-induced immunity (Stein, 2017).

Another factor is a lack of understanding about the importance of vaccination. People who are not well-informed about the benefits of vaccination are more likely to be skeptical. Parents must first gain knowledge and understanding about the usage of vaccines before making an informed decision. Vaccine refusal is primarily motivated by a fear of health consequences, a personal belief system, and a lack of knowledge about vaccine advantages.

In addition, some refuse vaccine because they question its effectiveness and religious beliefs. While other people worry about safety others are concerned about effectiveness (Di Pietro et al., 2017). Although research indicated that the vaccine is safe and efficient, much remains uncertain such as, how long the vaccine will be effective, whether it will work against new strains of the virus and whether or not someone who has been vaccinated can still transfer the disease to others. Religious views are one of the most popular reasons given by parents for refusing to vaccinate their children (Stein, 2017). Some of the components used to make some vaccines like human fetus tissues go against religious tenets. The refusal to take vaccines is caused by religious beliefs and concerns about its effectiveness.

Pros for Vaccines with Literature

Making vaccines mandatory can save lives, prevent the risk of causing harm to other people, and eliminate infectious diseases in the community. Vaccines play an integral role in saving lives because they increase an individual’s immunity (Molyneux, 2017). Canada has managed to eliminate infectious diseases polio, diphtheria, measles, and smallpox because of strict vaccination policies that apply to children who enroll in schools. In Canada, between 1949 to1953, polio led to about 500 deaths and 11,000 people being paralyzed (Soke, 2018). However, the introduction of silk vaccines helped in controlling the infection.

In addition, making vaccines mandatory would assist in preventing the risk of causing harm to other people in the community (Mina, 2017). Vaccines are able to increase the immunity of an individual. The other advantage of mandatory vaccination is that it eliminates infectious diseases (Savulescu, 2021). Mandatory vaccination means that many people would be vaccinated and are protected against a given disease. Therefore, mandatory vaccines would improve the health status of Canada.

Cons for Vaccines with Literature

Making vaccines mandatory can cause serious side effects, infringe an individual’s religious beliefs, and interfere with an individual’s choice of healthcare. One of the cons is that some vaccines can cause serious side effects. According to Caulfield et al. (2017), the cases of potential side effects are experienced after vaccination. The other disadvantage is that some vaccines are made from substances that can infringe on an individual’s religious beliefs (Giubilini, 2021).

Recently, Charlotte Lozier Institute reported that six out of the eight vaccines used in Canada are not made from aborted fetus cells (CHVN, 2021). Based on this, making vaccines mandatory would interfere with an individual’s belief because they are perceived to violate religious teachings. In addition, mandatory vaccinations interfere with an individual’s right to decide on their health (Giubilini & Savulescu, 2019). Therefore, there is little doubt that making vaccines mandatory could adversely affect an individual’s social and physical health.

Should Vaccines become Mandatory

No, there are various challenges that come with mandating vaccination. First, mandatory vaccination goes against patient autonomy which is an important ethical aspect (Giubilini, 2021). It takes away the right of a patient to make decisions regarding their healthcare. Second, it has the potential to further marginalize and isolate certain groups of people in the community. The problem stems from the fact that vaccination is primarily a public health concern. The best way to persuade people is through education, which includes providing all available information on diseases, immunizations, and potential adverse effects, as well as assisting patients and their caregivers in making an informed decision.

References

Busby, C. (2018). Not just for kids: How to improve adult vaccination uptake in Canada. CD Howe Institute Commentary, 509. Web.

CHVN. (2021). Vaccines used in Canada not made with abortion cells: Report. Christian News. Web.

Caulfield, T., Marcon, A. R., & Murdoch, B. (2017). Injecting doubt: Responding to the naturopathic anti-vaccination rhetoric. Journal of Law and the Biosciences, 4(2), 229-249.

Di Pietro, M. L., Poscia, A., Teleman, A. A., Maged, D., & Ricciardi, W. (2017). Vaccine hesitancy: parental, professional and public responsibility. Annali dell’Istituto superiore di sanita, 53(2), 157-162. Web.

Fleurant-Ceelen, A., Tunis, M., & House, A. (2018). Adult immunization: What is new in the Canadian Immunization Guide: November 2016 to November 2018. Canada Communicable Disease Report, 44(12), 351.

Giubilini, A. (2021). Vaccination ethics. British Medical Bulletin, 137(1), 4-12. Web.

Giubilini, A., & Savulescu, J. (2019). Vaccination, risks, and freedom: the seat belt analogy. Public Health Ethics, 12(3), 237-249. Web.

McClure, C. C., Cataldi, J. R., & O’Leary, S. T. (2017). Vaccine hesitancy: where we are and where we are going. Clinical therapeutics, 39(8), 1550-1562. Web.

Mina, M. J. (2017). Measles, immune suppression and vaccination: direct and indirect nonspecific vaccine benefits. Journal of Infection, 74, S10-S17. Web.

Molyneux, M. (2017). New ethical considerations in vaccine trials. Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics, 13(9), 2160-2163. Web.

Savulescu, J. (2021). Good reasons to vaccinate: Mandatory or payment for risk? Journal of Medical Ethics, 47(2), 78-85. Web.

Soke, S. (2018). Lessons from the polio epidemic more relevant now than ever. The University of Alberta. Web.

Stein, R. A. (2017). The golden age of anti-vaccine conspiracyes. Germs, 7(4), 168. Web.

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Reference

EssaysInCollege. (2022, October 26). Mandatory Vaccinations in Canada. Retrieved from https://essaysincollege.com/mandatory-vaccinations-in-canada/

Reference

EssaysInCollege. (2022, October 26). Mandatory Vaccinations in Canada. https://essaysincollege.com/mandatory-vaccinations-in-canada/

Work Cited

"Mandatory Vaccinations in Canada." EssaysInCollege, 26 Oct. 2022, essaysincollege.com/mandatory-vaccinations-in-canada/.

References

EssaysInCollege. (2022) 'Mandatory Vaccinations in Canada'. 26 October.

References

EssaysInCollege. 2022. "Mandatory Vaccinations in Canada." October 26, 2022. https://essaysincollege.com/mandatory-vaccinations-in-canada/.

1. EssaysInCollege. "Mandatory Vaccinations in Canada." October 26, 2022. https://essaysincollege.com/mandatory-vaccinations-in-canada/.


Bibliography


EssaysInCollege. "Mandatory Vaccinations in Canada." October 26, 2022. https://essaysincollege.com/mandatory-vaccinations-in-canada/.

References

EssaysInCollege. 2022. "Mandatory Vaccinations in Canada." October 26, 2022. https://essaysincollege.com/mandatory-vaccinations-in-canada/.

1. EssaysInCollege. "Mandatory Vaccinations in Canada." October 26, 2022. https://essaysincollege.com/mandatory-vaccinations-in-canada/.


Bibliography


EssaysInCollege. "Mandatory Vaccinations in Canada." October 26, 2022. https://essaysincollege.com/mandatory-vaccinations-in-canada/.